How Conor Benn and Jai Opetaia Became Pawns in Zuffa Boxing’s Power Play
- Zuffa Boxing has positioned itself to capture the promotional rights of elite fighters Ryan Garcia and David Benavidez through a high-stakes strategy that involves securing marquee talents Conor...
- Zuffa Boxing and TKO paid Conor Benn more than $30 million across two fights, a financial outlay designed to secure a promotional footprint that includes matching Benn against...
- Before reaching the upper tier of the sport in Las Vegas, Benn and Jai Opetaia shared parallel uprootings in Sydney, Australia, 15 years ago.
Zuffa Boxing has positioned itself to capture the promotional rights of elite fighters Ryan Garcia and David Benavidez through a high-stakes strategy that involves securing marquee talents Conor Benn and Jai Opetaia, according to reporting by Yahoo Sports. Both Garcia and Benavidez are approaching the final fights of their respective promotional contracts, leaving the market open for Dana White’s TKO-backed venture to move in and reshape the landscape of major boxing promotions.
The Strategic Sacking and Signing of Conor Benn
Zuffa Boxing and TKO paid Conor Benn more than $30 million across two fights, a financial outlay designed to secure a promotional footprint that includes matching Benn against Ryan Garcia, according to Yahoo Sports. The event, funded by Ring Magazine and broadcast on Paramount+, was heavily branded as a TKO and Zuffa production under the direction of Dana White. Oscar De La Hoya, Garcia’s promoter at Golden Boy, was entirely absent from the build-up and fight night, signaling a strategic effort to align Garcia with Zuffa in the public eye as he nears free agency. According to Yahoo Sports, the acquisition of Benn also dealt an emotional and business blow to promoter Eddie Hearn and Matchroom. Benn had been a foundational fighter for Matchroom, remaining with the stable through multiple failed drug tests for the female fertility drug clomiphene. His departure demonstrated to the boxing industry that fighters under traditional promoters remain vulnerable to higher-paying market entrants.
Shared Roots Between Benn and Opetaia
Before reaching the upper tier of the sport in Las Vegas, Benn and Jai Opetaia shared parallel uprootings in Sydney, Australia, 15 years ago. Opetaia recalled fighting on the same late-night amateur cards as Benn when both athletes were teenagers. Tim Tszyu recounted to Code Sports that Benn sparred with Nikita Tszyu during those formative years in Australia, noting that Benn faced tough rounds in local gyms before turning professional in the United Kingdom in 2016. Opetaia broke his jaw in two places to win his initial world title and was stripped of the IBF world championship twice before becoming the first big-name fighter signed to Zuffa Boxing. Opetaia faces Noel Mikaelian in Las Vegas, while Benn meets WBC welterweight world champion Ryan Garcia at T-Mobile Arena.
Promotional Friction and Future Free Agency
Garcia enters his upcoming matchup with just one fight remaining on his contract with Golden Boy, according to Yahoo Sports. Garcia has maintained a strained relationship with De La Hoya, exacerbated by a post-fight lawsuit following his April 2023 bout against Gervonta Davis on Showtime, which generated 1.2 million pay-per-view buys and a $22.8 million gate. After experiencing the promotional scale of Zuffa during the buildup to his bout under the TKO banner, Garcia told Uncrowned that he was satisfied working with Dana White’s organization. With David Benavidez also one fight away from free agency, Zuffa Boxing has used the signings of Benn and Opetaia to demonstrate its capacity to deliver major financial returns and global exposure. According to Yahoo Sports, traditional promoters face mounting pressure as Zuffa continues to absorb marquee talent and edge closer to capturing boxing’s biggest free agents.
